A new exhibit at the University of Hawaiʻi West Oʻahu hopes to promote peace by reminding us of the atrocities of war.
“Himeyuri and Hawaii” focuses on a group of Okinawan girls and women memorialized on the island after the sacrifices they made during World War II. Out of the 240 Himeyuri students and teachers who were mobilized during the fighting on Okinawa, more than half did not survive.
If anyone understands the relationship between Hawaiʻi and Okinawa, which sits about 400 miles south of mainland Japan, it's Joyce Chinen.
In addition to being a retired sociology professor, Chinen is the former director of UH Mānoa's Center for Okinawan Studies. She spoke to The Conversation about the exhibit.
“Himeyuri and Hawaii” will be on display in the James and Abigail Campbell Library at UH West Oʻahu through Jan. 31, 2024. It is an initiative of the Himeyuri Peace Museum, the Himeyuri Peace Resource Center, and the Okinawa Prefecture.
This interview aired on The Conversation on Oct. 18, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
